Over 20 killed, 100 injured in Lal mosque gun battle
ISLAMABAD: Over 20 people including students of Lal mosque, four newsmen, a Rangers and a businessman were killed and over 100 others were injured as a result of Lal mosque gun battle, the media reports said.

The Lal mosque administration said that at least 15 righteous men of the mosque were killed whereas a businessman was killed in the firing at Abpara market.

The death toll is still feared to rise as the several people out of the injured were reportedly in critical condition.

The media men including a Bureau chief of a TV channel were injured, out of which another cameraman was reportedly in a critical condition.

The shootout erupted after six months of tension over the activities of the hardline Lal Masjid, or Red Mosque, which has kidnapped several Chinese and Pakistani civilians as part of a freelance anti-vice campaign.

Students carrying Kalashnikovs and wearing gas masks took up positions behind sandbags and dirt bunkers chanting "Jihad! Jihad! (Holy war)", as police in riot vans fired volleys of tear gas.

As gunshots rang out, a loudspeaker announcement from the mosque urged "fedayeen" (suicide attackers) to prepare themselves. The mosque is near one of the capital's busiest shopping areas, which closed for the day.

The policemen and several burqa-clad female students from a seminary attached to the mosque who suffered bullet wounds, a senior official at Islamabad's Services Hospital said.

Most of the others had breathing problems from teargas, but one of the women was undergoing surgery to remove bullets in her back and hand, emergency ward doctor Sharif Astori said.

Deputy Commissioner ICT, Chaudhry Muhammad Ali confirmed death of one jawan of Rangers, Mubarak Hussain, who was hit in the chest by a bullet fired by the Jamia Hafsa Squad.

According to sources at Poly Clinic, three male students got injured in firing. They are Nasaruminullah, Nasir Ahmed and Abu Huraira. A female student Uzma Yusuf was also reportedly injured.

One police personnel Rab Nawaz suffered injuries in cross firing.
One each from the students and Rangers side were shifted to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), the hospital sources confirmed.

According to Poly Clinic sources, 41 fainted females have been admitted to hospital while three have been shifted to PIMS.

Movement of the commuters on the adjacent roads was restricted and the adjacent busy Aabpara and Melody markets have been closed.

The CDA and Edhi ambulances were present on the scene to shift injured or fainted to hospital for first aid. The mosque administration was seen shifting female students to the safer places.

The office of Environment department was set on fire by the students of Lal mosque.


Now what is your opinion about the Lal Masjid clash and its aftermaths.

the operation should have been done 6 months back and even now they should end this...and get rid of this hypocritical organization

This is the latest.

ISLAMABAD: The medical authorities have confirmed death of 8 people including a Rangers man, a reporter, a photojournalist; a businessman and over 150 people were injured as a result of Lal mosque gun battle, the media reports said.

The death toll is still feared to rise as the several people out of the injured were reportedly in critical condition.

The police fired tear gas to disperse the students who resorted to target firing on the Rangers stationed near Lal masjid and Jamia Hafsa killing a Rangers Lance Naik and injuring five other jawans.

The situation worsened when crossfire started from both sides bringing the life to standstill and blockade of the roads for the safety of general public.

The Sporadic continued for quite sometime and left six people dead and dozens injured who were admitted to local hospitals for necessary treatment.

According to details, two injured expired at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) as 23 others were under treatment after suffering injuries during crossfire.

Hospital sources said that two persons including a student of Jamia Hafsa and a shopkeeper Amraiz succumbed to injuries inflicted in crossfire and tear gas shelling. The injured include 17 male and 6 females from Jamia Hafsa.

Jamia Hafsa students snatched weapons from the police personnel and resorted to target fire on Rangers and blocked the roads along the seminary.

Rangers and police fired shells to disperse students, which responded with gunfire from Jamia Hafsa, injuring a Ranger who later died at hospital.

According to reports, 16 people including Rangers, students of Jamia Hafsa and a media person who suffered bullet injuries were admitted to Capital Development Authority (CDA) hospital along with another media person.

Later, Javed Khan a photographer of a newspaper succumbed to injuries.

Two other dead at the CDA hospital have been identified as Ghulam Muhammad from Bajour Agency and M Fayyaz, a resident of G-7/4.

As many as 40 others were injured and fainted due to shelling including men, women and a passersby were also admitted to the same hospital.

Two journalists, Amin Wahab, a reporter of a newspaper and a cameraman Israr of a TV channel also suffered bullet injuries during crossfire.

Senior journalist Ansar Alam was also injured during shelling by the law enforcing agencies.

The incident is ashameable for a muslim country.i m a relegious minded girl but i personaly oppose the lal masjids 's administration when they try to creat a state within state but the govt is doing wrong and going in a wrong way. the musharaf 's all policies r just to degrade islam bcoz he is the friend of BUSH.....

dear mariam , i think the same as you about the clerics in lal masjid , this is not the way to jihad or bring something up.But about the musharaf's govt. i would say they have left them not a single choice rather to have an *operation Lal Majid* Baaton se wo mante nai ,kanoon unko sai se pata nai , kanoon kia pata hoga, unko tou islam ka bhi nai maloom jis tarah ki unki harkatein hain.! they are abducting people .Tell me where in Quran is written to "abduct people and seek for your demands?
But for the betterment of our country , both the govt and clerics should have talks and settle it down rather than making it a big issue.
I think LAL Masjid Walou ne Action movies bohut dekhna shuru kerdi hain(joke)

well greenhorn u r right but the death is a dreadful fact....
the innocet people who hv died in this incident were the dear to their owns.
can u understand the feelings of the family members of those died people?

What I think is that religion should never be part of violence. These Red people should know the way Prophet SAW preached Islam and purged the society. He didn't clean the obscenity of society through getting hold of any public property or hiding behind the weaker sex. He never ever threw a little piece of stone at his bitter enemies. And now look what people who claim themselves to be staunch follower of him are doing. They even murdered a man which according to Quran is equal to killing the whole universe. When would these people wake up? When would they be converted to Muslim?? When would they learn the relation between teaching and Islam?? Not in this world i guess!!!!

Ali u r also right but can u claim that u r 100% right that the red people r wrong? if they r killing a man........ and Quran says......it is equal 2 kill whole universe............is govt not killing the innocents?

min kis k haaht pay apna laho talash karon........?
tamam shehr nay pehnay hoay hin dastanay.....................

In my opinion there are two perspectives for this. Religiously speaking Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) had given the right of decision making over any issue to courts. It is another debate that the judicial system of Pakistan is purely western.

Secondly,This system has been passed by the parliament of Islamic republic of Pakistan. Lal Masjid people have no right to arrest any person though he/she is the owner of a brothel or a massage center. If they have problem they must activate the government system by reporting to the police. They have no right to take law in their hands.

Pakistan is struggling for her sovereignty over many years. Announcing a state within the state is a really big challenge for Pakistans sovereignty. Lal Masjid administration announced " Danda Police", Shareeyat courts etc. According to the realist theory of IR prime importance is always given to the National Interest. The act of violence by the lal Majid burqa clad pro-talibans is fully against the national interest of Pakistan.

From where these militants are getting the weapons? this is another question? This kalashan koof culture is the crop of what seeds America sew in Pakistan during the cold war. Another worst effect of Pak-US relations in this context is the prevalence of the Extremism. People of pakistan being the under developed nation are rigid,never changing and strict towards religion.

Lal militants know that they are wrong. They are simply unable to accept that their point of view is wrong religiously, soicially and politically. Government efforts to establish the writ the state should continue.

The latest according to the media is that govt. has enforced partial Curfew in the sector G-6 and G-7...

@mariam and ali
agreed

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A Man Would Do Nothing,
If He Waited Until He
Could Do It So Well
That No One Would Find Fault
With What He Has Done.